9/3/16

Just in case Jake deGrom and Steve Matz are shut down, what to do, what to do, during this improbably pennant run?Let's go with out of the box thinking for a second - WAY OUT:How about PJ Conlon and Nabil Crismatt?Of the two, only righty Crismatt has pitched above A ball, so I know what I suggest is heretical....even more so because Crismatt only started in AA once, on Friday night, because they needed a pitcher and, with St Lucie entering the playoffs, they dipped lower and nabbed Mr. Crismatt. And Crismatt LOST that start! You ARE crazy, Brennan!But losses tend to happen to pitchers when your team gets shut out, as Binghamton did that night. Nabil tossed a dandy in his AA debut: 6 innings, allowed only a 5th inning solo homer, walked 1, struck out 7. For the season, a WHIP under 1.00, more than a strikeout per inning, and just 7 walks in 66 IP. He turns 22 on Christmas day, so give him an early birthday and Christmas present. Check, he pitched well in one outing in the World Baseball Classic for Colombia earlier this year, too, in case you were wondering.PJ Conlon must have some sort of Greg Maddux thing going on. After not allowing a single earned run in his 2015 debut season in 20 IP, he started the season in Columbia A ball in 2016 and dominated it...then got promoted to St Lucie mid-season and has dominated there even more, with a 1.41 ERA in the Florida State League.Overall in 23 starts and 1 relief outing in 2016, he is 12-2, 1.65, 0.98 WHIP. Out of those 24 appearances, he has been in 9 games where he allowed no earned runs and 8 more where he allowed just one. Come on, man! Don't be so stingy!! In 159 IP, just 25 earned runs, and 5 of those came in one start, so other than that one outing, less than 1 earned run per outing. Pretty friggin' awesome.OK, my suggestions are too radical for you? Try Gabe Ynoa and Ricky Knapp then, both have done well enough in 2016 and are logically next in line. But for me, roll the dice with Conlon and Crismatt. Imagine them getting the Mets into the post-season? There would be the stuff of movies.Gotta go - my orderly is here to give me my meds. Let's Go Mets.